The Parental Paradox
by hullosweetpea
Summary: Follow up to The Quadruple Fortnight Potential. After receiving Padma's text James rushes off to see her, not knowing quite what their future will hold.


**A/N: Here is the tag ending for The Quadruple Fortnight Potiental. I didn't like this being the ending of that story since it was supposed to be about everything that happened in Texas and not these guys, so I made a stand-alone. For those even wondering when these two "did the deed", remember the end of chapter nineteen when Padma and James were getting all cozy and sappy…yeah. Young love, it happens.**

 **Disclaimer: Lorre, Prady and me**

The Parental Paradox

James impatiently taped his fingers on the wheel as he waited at a red light. He needed to get to the Koothrapali to talk to Padma. This was not the conversation you had over the phone or through text. Frankly, James was hoping to avoid this kind of conversation for at least five years. The light turned green and James drove as fast as legally possible. He made it to the turn off and turned into the parking lot. He found a parking spot and quickly locked the car, so he could get inside the apartment building. His phone began to ping and James grabbed his phone out if his pocket. It said that it was Padma calling. He swiped his thumb across the screen so the call would go through. "James, did you by any chance get a text from me" asked Padma.

He started to walk up the stairs "yeah, what's it all about".

"Shit... Oh Hell, I don't know... Where are you?" She asked.

"The second floor, why?" He asked as he made his way up to the third floor.

He heard Padma sigh "Dammit... This is awkward...um...?"

"Padma, I'm right outside your apartment door". He heard footsteps and the door opened.

"Hi" said Padma weakly hanging up on James.

He walked inside and sat down on the couch, burying his head in his hands "I don't even know where the hell to start".

"Padma, I found the Milanos" said Katherine as she got up with the package in hand.

"Why are you here Kate" asked James.

"Padma wanted some comfort" she said as she handed the cookies to her.

He lifted his head up and looked at her "So that's why you freaked out when I said I had gotten the text. It was meant for Kate not me wasn't it?"

Padma opened up the package and pulled out a cookie "I didn't want you to know".

James scooted down the couch to be closer to her "I could potentially be a father and you didn't want me to know?"

She stood up so he had to crane his neck to face her "I didn't want you to get to involved, okay. If I really was pregnant, I would have told you... But..." Padma started to pace "if I wasn't pregnant I didn't want to tell you because it would have been easier. You never would have had to worry or feel bad or guilty. I was trying to protect you".

James stood up in front of her "what if I wanted to be involved. What if I wanted to be there to support you? You can't just not tell me".

Katherine slammed the tea kettle down on to the counter "both of you stop it! So you both screwed up, but yelling at each other isn't going to solve the problem! The only thing that will is a pregnancy test!"

They both looked over at the tiny teenager. "Pregnancy test" said James quietly.

Katherine sighed and poured hot water in three mugs "how late are you".

"Three days" mumbled Padma.

Katherine put the tea bags in and carried them to the couch "that's not much time, but it's still a possibility. When did you...you know..." her face turned a bit pink "ahhh...do it".

Padma and James both blushed "about..." She started counting days on her fingers "about two weeks ago".

Katherine took a long sip from her tea "There is a shot. Did you use protection?"

James looked a little redder "well..."

Katherine smacked him on the shoulder "James Lee Cooper, you mean to tell me you didn't use _protection_! What the hell James! I thought you were a gentleman not some rat bastard!"

He rubbed the spot she smacked "We did, but I kept it in my wallet and... Well... Let's just say when you finally do it with Armand make sure he didn't keep his condoms in his wallet for the past year and a half".

Now Katherine was interested "why".

He pulled on his shirt collar "apparently the integrity of it can be...compromised"

Padma took a sip of her tea "How do you know so much about pregnancy, Kate".

She played with her tea bag tag "I did research on the bus while I was coming here".

"So, what should we do next" asked James.

"I probably need to take a test" said Padma.

"You mean you haven't taken one yet" he asked.

"I said might, I think I _might_ be pregnant" stressed Padma.

"Do you have one" he asked.

She tapped her fingers on the side of the mug "that's not something most girls keep on hand James. At least you, know until I _had_ sex. I would have to go out and get one".

He put his hands up defensively "hey, I'm a guy. I don't know how this all works".

Katherine snorted into her tea "if she is pregnant, you'll be learning _a lot_ quick."

They both looked at her.

"Talking about your sex life isn't really how I planned to spend my Friday. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but it's starting to get a little uncomfortable" said Katherine.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't know how involved you were going to get in this" said Padma as she hugged her.

"I should be hugging you not me" she said.

James got up from the couch and headed towards the door. Padma stood up a followed him "where are you going".

He let go of the door knob "I'm going to go get you some pregnancy tests. It sounded like you don't have any and I think for both our sakes, you should take one today".

She gave him a peck on the cheek "thank you, I really didn't want to go and get one".

He opened up the door and started to leave "wish me luck".

He shut it behind him, leaving the two girls behind. Padma sat back down on the couch and shook Katherine by the shoulders "what was I thinking! I can't be a mother! I have more faith in James than myself".

Katherine reached out and held her shoulders, so she would stop shaking her "Padma Selina Koothrapali. You are going to get through this. All you have to do is take a test. If it's negative, it's fine. If it's positive, it will be fine. And if it is positive, I want to be the fun Aunt".

Padma laughed "Kate, you can't claim the title of 'fun Aunt'".

She smiled "you just watch me".

Padma gave her a warm smile "thanks for being here Katherine".

She leaned over and hugged her "you're welcome Padma".

-o-O-o-

He looked at the shelf of pregnancy tests and all he could think of was _there's more than one_. They were all lined up, each promising different things. Some based on accuracy, others how many days before the missed period. He grabbed a pink box that had two tests and a blue one that had three. He awkwardly walked to the front of the store to check out where, he thanked all that was heavenly, they had self-check out. He quickly scanned the boxes and paid with cash. As he walked out he hoped no one could see through the white plastic bag.

-o-O-o-

James walked back into the apartment to find the girls in the couch eating the Milanos and nervously watching Doctor Who. "Forty dollars for five tests. It would have been cheaper for me to get new condoms" he said as he gently tossed the bag towards Padma.

"Many a man has said that to their wife/girlfriend and you won't be the last" she looked into the bag "you got some pretty accurate ones. I'll be right back".

She left to go to the bathroom, leaving James and Katherine in an awkward silence. He sat down beside her and looked at the screen " _A good man goes to war_? That's not the kind of episode you watch when someone might be pregnant".

She nodded "I know, but Padma insisted we watch it".

He grabbed a Milano from the package "do you think I would be a good father?"

Katherine looked at him and rolled her eyes "you would be a fine father. The ironic thing is that both you and Padma think you would make bad parents".

"Really, she thinks she would be a bad parent" said James.

She munched on a cookie "yeah, personally I think you have nothing to worry about. I mean, there's no way in hell your swimmers made it on the first shot". James playfully pushed Katherine to the side of the couch. Padma came back into the living room and sat on the couch. "So, what'd they say" asked Katherine.

Padma looked at her watch "I won't know for another minute and a half".

"That's pretty quick" he said.

"I only took two, one of each. Taking all five seemed pretty excessive" she said.

"Just save them for later. You know if you'll need them again" he said.

She looked down at her watch "it's time".

They all scrambled towards the bathroom. "What do they say" asked Katherine.

Padma looked at them carefully and compared to what they said on the boxes. "Not pregnant" she said with a sigh of relief.

James picked her up and gave her a kiss and Katherine gave her a hug. "I'm so glad that's over" said James.

Katherine grabbed the tests "I'll throw these away in some trash can on the way home unless you want to keep one".

Padma scowled "no, I peed on those. That's gross".

"You pee on them" said James shocked.

The girls laughed. "You have a lot to learn" said Katherine as she left.

James and Padma looked at each other. "How do you feel" he asked. She gave a small smile "like the weight if the world is off my shoulders. We're not having sex for a while."

James sighed and gave her a relieved look. "Agreed."

They walked out of the bathroom and sat back down on the couch. Padma turned to face him "I've been thinking, we should tell our parents we're dating".

He grabbed one of her hands and started to play with it "this has to do with the pregnancy scare, doesn't it".

"It does. If I was pregnant, we would have had to tell them. They might not have been that mad if we were just dating, but if you had gotten me pregnant they would have been pissed. If we tell them now, I might be able to be put on birth control. Then we wouldn't have to go through this again. I wish we would have told them sooner," she explained.

James looked down at their intermingled hands "I agree, but can we not tell them about this. I think it should stay between us and Kate".

Padma smiled "yeah, I don't think they'd want to know about this".

James laid his head on her shoulder "you know I love you".

She looked down at his face "I love you too". He picked up the remote and selected another episode of Doctor Who to watch to pass the time.

-o-O-o-

Raj, Emily and Sheldon came through the apartment door. "What was with the text" asked raj.

"We'll explain" said Padma.

James opened up Skype on Padma's laptop and called Amy. She came on to the screen, her lab in the background "hello James".

The adults sat down on the couch and James moved the laptop so that Amy could see everyone. "James and I have something we'd like to tell you" started Padma.

James grabbed her hand "we've been dating".

"Why haven't you told us" asked Emily.

"When we first started dating we didn't know what you would think. We were going to tell, but it was a little fun hiding it from everyone" explained Padma.

"Then Henry found out as the others came to their own conclusions, so we decided to tell you sometime before Padma's eighteenth birthday" explained James.

"Why now" asked Amy.

Padma looked at James "we talked it over and with thought it would be best to tell everyone before James went back to college and before I started my senior year. And it _has_ turned out fine for the others."

Sheldon crossed his arms and looked at the kids "how long have you been dating. It doesn't sound like you just recently started".

The two had the grace to look a little guilty. "Almost three years" said James.

" _Three years_ " said Sheldon alarmed.

"Almost" repeated Padma.

"Why didn't you trust us" asked raj.

"It started before James left for college and if it fell apart it would have been easier to keep it hidden" said Padma.

Emily stood up "well, this has been interesting, but I'm hungry. You guys want some Thai".

"That's it" said James.

Emily shrugged her shoulders "you guys seem mature enough to handle it and I've had my share of break ups I wished my parents hadn't been a part of".

Sheldon stood up "if we're done here I'll need a ride home, it's Chinese night".

James picked up the car keys "I drove over here. I'll take you".

"This has been nice, but I need to go back to my lab work. Save some dinner for me," said Amy before logging out.

"Bye, Padma," James said before giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Sheldon called over his shoulder. "You're pushing it".

They both laughed and James left. "So, you guys are okay" said Padma.

"Yeah, I think you make a cute couple" said raj.

Padma just had a thought reach her "I'll be right back". She quickly walked into the bathroom, but someone else had beat her.

Emily was in there holding the boxes of pregnancy tests "I feel this had a part in telling us today".

Padma started to panic "please don't tell dad and Uncle Sheldon and Aunt Amy".

Emily handed them over to her daughter "I won't, just try to be a bit more careful".

Padma sighed and opened up the bathroom door so she could race to her room to hide them "thanks mom".

Emily smiled "you're welcome and remember I was your age once. If you ever want to talk just ask".

Padma nodded "I will" and she left the bathroom.

 **A/N: This will probably be the last thing of mine to have the kids for a while. I have some ideas, but I have a longer list of stories I need to finish first.**


End file.
